The biggest talking point in college football over the past several years has been expanding the College Football Playoff. Almost instantly after bumping the field from 4 teams to 12 teams, the conversation around expanding the field once again began. As TV revenue helps drive the sport, expansion is inevitable, especially after watching March Madness expand this Spring.
As expansion talks continue, it looks like college football is heading toward doubling the field to 24 teams, but nothing has been set in stone. The general consensus around fans and the media is that it's far too many teams in the Playoff, and it'll devalue the regular season. Those inside the sport feel differently about the postseason expansion plan.
Dan Lanning supports the opportunity CFP expansion brings
If there's any type of program that should be against expansion from the Big Ten it's schools like Oregon and Ohio State along with new powerhouse Indiana. The trio have made the Playoff both seasons under the expanded format, and if anything expansion would make winning it all even tougher with added chances to get picked off.
Instead, Dan Lanning cited how the three may not be getting the best case for their individual playoff hopes, but how it'll make the sport better.
"Ryan's (Day) in the same situation, Curt (Cignetti) as well, similar situation. Is it necessarily best for the programs that have been in to say, 'Hey, let's invite more?' No, but is it better? What's happened because of the College Football Playoff is every bowl game has been devalued, the end of the season looks completely different. You're a failure if you don't make it to the College Football Playoff."Dan Lanning
The biggest point that Dan Lanning is making is that teams and coaches are viewed as failures if they don't make the field. Coaches are measured heavily on making the postseason, and it makes the most sense for coaches as a whole to support expansion as it'll increase their long-term security.
While many argue that the bowl games have been devalued with the Playoff, it's also fair to say that would've happened anyway in the NIL era. In the Big 4 US Sports, teams don't miss the Playoffs and the play in postseason games to follow their season, so College Football should likely follow that model and make the CFP the most important thing.
Dan Lanning cited how great March Madness has been for college basketball as to why the expansion plan is best.
"It's going to create more opportunity. Just like March Madness is great in the spring for basketball, it'll be good for our sport."Dan Lanning
Whether or not expanding to 24 teams will be good for the sport remains to be seen, but it's also a shot that college football was eventually going to take. College Football deals with running up against the NFL regular season and the start of the Playoffs, and the best chance to compete head to head on TV is with postseason games.
Compared to College Basketball, and the NCAA Tournament, college football has far more room to experiment. The College Football Playoff is still such a recent addition to the sport, and eventually, a format will be found that allows for expansion to stop, and the format to grow into a yearly tradition.
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